Answers to common questions about using Agape Social.
Click Profile in the top menu, then Edit Account Settings. You can change your username, slogan, bio, birthdate, location, gender, Buy Me a Coffee link, favorite Bible verse, and avatar. Choose whether birthdate, location, and gender are public or private. Use Edit Photos on your profile to manage profile photos.
When your status is Active, others see your username, role, bio, avatar, slogan, favorite Bible verse, profile photos, and recent Sparks. They also see any birthdate, location, or gender you mark public. If you add a Buy Me a Coffee link, others see that button. Public birthdates show the month and day only; your birth year is never shown. Your first name, last name, email, and phone number are always private. If you set Do Not Disturb in Account Settings under Availability, others still see your username, bio, avatar, Buy Me a Coffee button, and public birthdate, location, and gender, but not your slogan, photos, favorite verse, or recent Sparks.
In Account Settings, use Add Favorite Bible Verse to pick a book, chapter, and verse range. It appears on your profile when your status is Active. You can also click the yellow star next to any Bible verse while browsing the site to save that single verse to your profile.
Click your avatar on your profile or in Account Settings to upload a new image. Supported formats are JPEG, PNG, WebP, and GIF up to 5 MB. The upload starts after you pick a file. You can delete your avatar in Account Settings. On your profile, choose Edit Photos to add, title, or remove photos. Each photo can also have a description up to 280 characters.
Yes. Bio is limited to 900 characters and slogan to 125 characters. Location is limited to 125 characters. Character counters show how many characters remain as you type.
In Account Settings, enter your new email and save. A 6-digit code is sent to your current email address. Enter that code on the settings page to confirm the change. Codes expire after 15 minutes. Until you confirm, your login email stays the same.
Open Account Settings and use the Appearance section. Choose a theme (light, dark, sepia, high contrast, ocean, forest, or midnight) and a font size from small through extra large. Your choices save automatically and apply across the site.
Bookmarks let you save Sparks, Minister Blog articles, Bible verses, private verse notes, profile photos, and individual comments to find later. Click the bookmark icon on the item you want to save. Open Bookmarks from the Navigation menu to see everything grouped by type (Sparks, articles, verses, verse notes, photos, and comments). Only you can see your bookmarks.
Do Not Disturb is an availability setting in Account Settings. It is different from deactivating or deleting your account. While you are in Do Not Disturb, others still see your username, bio, avatar, Buy Me a Coffee button, and any birthdate, location, or gender you marked public, but not your slogan, profile photos, favorite Bible verse, or recent Sparks. You can return to Active at any time from the same Availability section.
Open Invite Friends from the right sidebar and click Open Invite Center. Your personal 6-digit invite code and signup link are shown there. When someone creates an account with your code, they automatically follow you. You can send up to 20 email invites per day from the Invite Center. Use Share by Social Post to copy a ready-made message for X, Facebook, or other platforms.
You can have up to 10 profile photos. Each photo can have a title and supports Agape, Amen, and Praying reactions plus comments on its detail page.
In Account Settings, choose Deactivate Account to log out and pause use of the site while keeping your profile and content, or Delete Account to permanently remove your account. Permanent deletion cannot be undone. If you only need a break, Do Not Disturb under Availability may be a better option. To reactivate, sign in with your email and password, open Reactivate Account, and choose a new password before you can post or comment again.
A verified member has confirmed both email and phone number. A verified badge then appears next to your username across the site. Phone number is optional, but you cannot earn the badge without it.
First, verify your email. After you create an account, open the confirmation link sent to your inbox. If you did not receive it, use Resend Verification in the banner at the top of the site, or open Account Settings and resend from Manage email addresses. Check your spam folder if needed. Second, verify your phone. Add your phone number in Account Settings and save. Open Validate phone number, click Request Verification Code, and wait for processing. Validation is handled manually and can take a few days. Once you receive your code, enter it on the Phone Validation page. Codes expire after seven days.
Every account starts as a Member. An Administrator can assign the Minister role so someone may publish a Minister Blog. Administrators manage the site. Roles are separate from the verified badge, which requires confirmed email and phone regardless of role.
With a verified email, you can post Sparks, comment, and join Agape Groups. A reminder banner appears until email verification is complete. To create Agape Groups or a Minister Blog, you must also verify your phone (full verification). Each Minister may have one Minister Blog; Administrators are not limited to one blog. If you change your phone number, phone verification resets and you must validate the new number to stay fully verified.
The Newsfeed is your main home page after you log in. It shows recent community Sparks that are not tied to an Agape Group.
A Spark is a short faith first post: an encouragement, testimony, scripture thought, or update you share with the community. Sparks can include text up to 2,000 characters and an optional image up to 5 MB.
On the Newsfeed, use the Share a Spark form at the top. Write your message, optionally attach an image, and click Post. You need a verified email address to post. New members receive a welcome Spark on their profile when they create an account.
Yes. On the Newsfeed and Following tabs, use the sort controls for Newest, Popularity (based on Agape, Amen, and Praying reactions, comments, and bookmarks, minus a penalty when you hide a Spark), or Most Views. Your choice is remembered. To hide a Spark from your feed, use the hide icon on its card. Open the Hidden Sparks tab on the same feed bar to review hidden posts and restore them.
Yes. On a Spark you wrote, open its detail page and use Edit or Delete. For your own comments, use Edit or Delete next to the comment. Deleting a Spark also removes its comments.
Each Spark supports Agape, Amen, and Praying reactions. Open a Spark to read the full post and add a comment up to 2,000 characters.
Yes. On a Spark detail page, use Reply under a comment to respond directly to that comment. Replies appear indented under the original comment. You can edit or delete your own replies the same way as top-level comments.
Yes. When you add or edit a comment on a Spark, you can attach one image up to 5 MB (JPEG, PNG, WebP, or GIF). The image appears below your comment text on the Spark detail page.
On supported phones and tablets, pull down on the Newsfeed, Following, or Hidden Sparks tab to reload the latest posts.
Type # followed by a topic word in a Spark, spark comment, or Minister Blog article comment (letters, numbers, and underscores only). Hashtags become clickable links to a topic page showing related Sparks, comments, and article comments. You can use up to 20 hashtags per post. Global Search also finds topics when you search for #prayer or similar.
Type @ followed by a username, Agape Group slug, or Minister Blog slug in a Spark, spark comment, or Minister Blog article comment. Suggestions appear as you type. In Agape Group Sparks and comments, suggestions are limited to members of that group. Up to 20 mentions are supported per post. When someone @mentions you in a Spark or comment, you receive an in-app notification. @group and @blog links render in the text but only member mentions send notifications.
Type a reference in square brackets, such as [Acts 2:38] or [1 Corinthians 13:4-7]. When others view your Spark or comment, valid references become clickable links to that passage on Agape Social's Bible page (King James Version). This works alongside @mentions and #hashtags. Type the brackets yourself—there is no suggestion menu as you write. If the text inside the brackets does not match the expected format, it stays as plain text.
No. Sparks posted inside an Agape Group appear only on that group's page. Use the Newsfeed for community Sparks that are not tied to a group.
Visit their profile and click Follow or Unfollow. You can also discover members from People to Follow on the Members page, or open Members in the Navigation menu. The People I Follow tab on the Members page lists everyone you follow.
Both are tabs on the main feed bar. The Newsfeed shows recent community Sparks from across the site. Following shows only non-group Sparks from people you follow.
In-app notifications are alerts inside Agape Social that help you notice when someone mentions you, replies to your Spark, follows you, publishes on a blog you follow, posts in your group, or when moderation finishes reviewing a report you submitted.
Look for the bell icon in the top navigation bar. A number badge shows how many unread notifications you have. Click or tap the bell to open a short preview list. For the full list, choose See all in the preview menu or open Notifications under Navigation in the left sidebar. On mobile, the bell appears in the title row at the top of the screen.
Your badge refreshes about every 30 seconds. You do not need to reload the page. When you mark one notification as read or use Mark all read, the badge count updates right away. When something new arrives, a brief pop-up message may appear at the edge of the screen.
You may receive a notification when: someone @mentions you in a Spark or comment; someone comments on your Spark; someone follows you; a blog you follow publishes a new article; moderation resolves a report you submitted; or someone posts a new Spark in an Agape Group you belong to. Blog follows are per blog—follow the blogs whose updates you want to see.
Open the bell preview or the Notifications page. Mark read on one item or use Mark all read to clear your unread badge. Delete removes a single notification. Clear all empties your entire list.
No. Notifications appear only inside Agape Social while you use the site. They do not send email or browser push alerts to your device.
Agape Groups are spaces for churches, ministries, organizations, and interest communities to gather and share Sparks. Each group has a name, description, category (Church, Organization, or Ministry), and optional cover image.
Click Agape Groups in the left sidebar to browse groups. Use the All Groups tab to see every group or My Groups to see groups you have joined. Each card shows the category, member count, and badges for Member (if you belong), Public or Private, and Active or Inactive Agape Group. Sort the list by Title, Newest, Most Active, or Most Members. Open a group and use the join control on its page. You need a verified email address to join. Most groups let anyone join instantly. Some require owner approval (Request to Join) or an invite only. If you receive an invite, Accept Invite appears on the group page.
Only fully verified members can create Agape Groups. Open Agape Groups and click Create Group at the top of the list. You must have verified both email and phone first. There is no limit on how many groups you may create. Fill in the name, category, description, and optional cover image. The group URL is generated from the name.
Public groups let anyone view Sparks and members on the group page. Private groups hide content from non-members; only the header and join option are visible until you join. The group owner can switch between public and private from the group page. This is separate from join policy settings such as invite only or owner approval.
The member who creates a group becomes its owner. Owners can manage join settings, invite members, review join requests, kick or ban members, pin announcements, and edit group details. Open Manage Members on the group page for the full panel. Other members can leave at any time. Only the owner can delete the group.
On Manage Agape Group, owners choose a join policy: Anyone can join (default), Invite only, or Owner approval required. For invite-only groups, the owner also sets who may send invites: Owner only, or Owner and members.
For invite-only groups, the owner or allowed members send invites from Manage Agape Group. Search for a member by username and click Send Invite. The invited person sees Accept Invite and Decline on the group page. Pending invites can be revoked. Banned users cannot accept invites.
Kick removes a member but does not block them from rejoining if the group allows it. Ban removes the member and prevents them from joining again until the owner unbans them. Only the owner can kick or ban members.
Group owners can pin important Sparks as announcements. On a group Spark, use the pin control in the reaction row. Pinned announcements appear in a carousel at the top of the group page.
Only members of that Agape Group can comment on Sparks posted inside it. Sparks on the public Newsfeed follow the usual rules for all signed-in members with verified email.
No. Agape Social is ad free. We do not sell ad space or display third-party advertising. Our goal is to keep the community focused on faith first fellowship without commercial distractions.
Running the platform has real costs, including hosting, security, and development. Sponsors voluntarily help cover those expenses so the community can stay online and ad free.
Click Become a Sponsor in the Sponsors section on the right sidebar. Fill out the form with your name and email, then continue to PayPal to complete your donation. If you finish on PayPal, you return to a confirmation page and your sponsorship is marked completed. If you cancel on PayPal, you can try again from the sponsor page. Accounts under review cannot submit sponsorships until review is complete.
Individuals, churches, and organizations can sponsor Agape Social. Choose the sponsor type on the form. If you are logged in, your name and email may be filled in automatically.
Completed sponsors appear in the Sponsors section on the right sidebar with their sponsor type after they finish donating through PayPal. Pending or cancelled sponsorships are not shown in the public list.
You are returned to a cancel page on Agape Social. Your sponsorship is not listed publicly and you can submit the sponsor form again when you are ready. No donation is recorded unless you complete payment on PayPal and return to the confirmation page.
Use Bible Search in the left sidebar. The King James Version (KJV) is built in. Search by word or phrase and optionally limit results to the Old Testament, New Testament, or a specific book. Use Look up by Reference to open a chapter or a verse range: pick book, chapter, and verses from the menus, or type a reference directly (for example, John 3:16 or John 3:16-18). Bible Stories lists well known passages you can open in one click. On any passage, use Copy Verse to copy the reference and text, or Share Verse to post it as a Spark. When you use Global Search, a link at the bottom of the results opens Bible Search with the same words.
Yes. While signed in, open a passage in Bible Search and use the note field on that passage. Your note is visible only to you—not to other members viewing the same verses. You can save one note per verse range (for example, Romans 8:28 or Romans 8:28–30). Notes are limited to 500 characters. Save again to update the text, or clear the field and save to remove the note. You can bookmark a verse note from the passage tools to return to it from Bookmarks.
Yes. On a passage page, use Agape, Amen, or Praying below the verse text, similar to Sparks. Reaction counts on that passage are visible to others, but your private verse notes remain separate and only you can read them.
Reading Plans guide you through Scripture over a set number of days. Open Reading Plans from the left sidebar to browse available plans, such as Read the Gospels in 30 Days, Read the New Testament in 26 Weeks, Old & New Testament Daily, or Read the Bible in 90 Days, enroll in one, and mark each day's reading complete as you go. On the plan detail page, each day's readings appear as one or more rows. Plans like Old & New Testament Daily show both an Old Testament and a New Testament passage each day. Every row has a Read Passage button in the top right so you can open that segment in Bible Search. Your progress is saved to your account. When you are enrolled, a Reading Plan Reminders card may appear in the right sidebar with your progress and a Continue Reading link for each active plan.
Life Cards are KJV Scripture images you can browse, open, and share. Open Life Cards from the left sidebar under Bible Tools to see the gallery. Sort by Newest, Title, or Most Viewed, then hover a thumbnail to preview the KJV verse or click it to view the full card. Your sort choice is remembered. Click the card title to open that verse in Bible Search, click the image to view it full size, and use Previous Life Card and Next Life Card to move through the gallery in order. On a life card page you can react with Agape, Amen, or Praying, bookmark the card, share it to the Newsfeed, download the image, and see view counts. Uploaded images include the Agape Social logo in a white circle at the bottom left corner. Administrators upload and manage the cards from the Manage Life Cards page. Each Scripture reference can only have one life card.
When you are signed in, your recent Bible searches are saved automatically. Open Search History from the Bible Search page to rerun past searches quickly.
Verse of the Day appears in the right sidebar with a daily KJV passage. Use the share button to post it as a Spark or open it in Bible Search.
While viewing any passage or chapter, click Share Verse. You can post it directly as a new Spark with optional commentary.
The Minister Blog lets Ministers publish longer posts such as devotionals, teachings, and encouragement. Each blog contains articles. Blogs and articles start as drafts and must be published before others can see them. Anyone can read published blogs. Signed-in members with verified email can comment.
Ministers who have verified both email and phone can create one Minister Blog. Click Create Minister Blogs on your profile or Create Blog on the Minister Blogs page. The blog is saved as a draft; choose Publish to make it visible. Administrators may create multiple blogs without the one-blog limit.
Click Create Minister Blogs and enter a title, description up to 5,000 characters, and an optional cover image. The blog URL is created from the title and cannot be changed later. To update the description or cover image after publishing, use Edit Blog on your Minister Blog page.
While viewing your published blog, click New Article. Articles have a title, body up to 10,000 characters, and an optional cover image. Articles are saved as drafts. Open the article page and choose Publish to make it visible. You can unpublish an article at any time. Articles support Agape, Amen, and Praying reactions like Sparks.
In [1 Corinthians 9:24] through [1 Corinthians 9:27], Paul compares the Christian life to running a race. Many may line up at the start, but only those who run with purpose will lay hold of the eternal prize. Paul warns against chasing human praise or a corruptible crown that fades. Instead, believers are called to run so they may obtain the incorruptible crown of eternal life. Minister Blog articles can link these verses using bracket syntax.
Yes. On a blog's article list, use the sort controls for Newest, Title, Popularity, Most Views, or Status. Status sort applies to the Agape Future Development blog and orders articles by development pipeline (New, Future, In Progress, Completed). Article sort is remembered separately from your Newsfeed sort.
Yes. A Minister Blog article can include an HTML audio player that streams an MP3 from an external site when the site owner has given permission. The Apostolic Preaching blog uses this method so audio plays inside Agape Social without uploading each file. The blog description links to the source website.
Yes. On a published article, use Reply under a comment to respond directly to that comment. Replies appear indented under the original comment. You can edit or delete your own replies the same way as top-level comments.
Open Minister Blogs from the left sidebar. On a published blog page, click Follow or Unfollow (authors do not see a follow button on their own blog). You need a verified email address to follow. When a Minister creates a blog, they automatically follow it. Use the Following tab on the Minister Blogs page to see only blogs you follow. Each list card shows the article count, last updated date, and follower count. When a blog you follow publishes a new article, you may receive an in-app notification.
Yes. On the Minister Blogs page (All Blogs or Following), use Sort by for Newest, Title, Last Updated, # of Articles, or # of Followers. Your choice is remembered.
The Church Directory is a searchable list of Apostolic churches you can browse to find a congregation by name, city, pastor, or address. Open Church Directory from the Navigation menu. Only churches approved by administrators appear in the public list.
On the Church Directory page, enter keywords in Search or use the State and Organization filters, then click Filter. Use Reset to clear filters. Open a church card to see its detail page with location, contact information, and website when provided.
Open Church Directory, click your church to open its detail page, and click Set As My Church. You must be signed in with a verified email address, and the church must be approved in the directory. If saving fails (for example before migrations finish or a database link problem), you stay on the church page with an error message instead of a server error. Site staff see extra error detail and a [profile-access vN] tag when logged in as staff. After you set it, your profile shows a row under your bio that says Member of {Church} with a link back to that church's directory page. If you later choose a different church, your home church is replaced. If the church is already set as your home church, the detail page shows a Remove My Church button to remove it from your profile. When you set a home church, you are also joined to that church's Agape Group (when one exists for the listing) so you can fellowship with other members who selected the same church. Removing your home church leaves that group.
Sign in with a verified email address and click Submit Church on the Church Directory page. Fill in the church details and submit. Your listing is reviewed by administrators before it appears in the public directory. You can open your pending submission from the link shown after you submit.
If the site database has not been updated for the Church Directory feature yet, the page shows a message that the directory is not available instead of an error. Listings appear after site staff run database migrations (including accounts_profile.church_id), load the church data, upload the entire apps/directory/ folder (views.py, db.py, profile_access.py), restart the app server, and verify with python manage.py check_directory_setup (view version 8, profile church helper version 3, db helper version 4). If the database already has churches but the page says a query failed, site staff should check server error logs and confirm Django uses the same database as phpMyAdmin. If you are a member and see this message, check back later or contact site administrators.
When you are logged in, use the search box in the top navigation bar. Enter what you are looking for and press Search or Enter. Results are grouped by type: Topics, Sparks, Spark comments, Agape Groups, Blogs, Blog Articles, Blog comments, Photos, Photo comments, Users, and Sponsors. Each preview links to that item (spark, group, blog, blog article, photo, profile, and so on). Click View More for additional results in a section. Searching with # followed by a word finds Sparks and topics tagged with that hashtag. Private Agape Groups appear in search only for the group owner and site administrators—not for other members. Unpublished Minister Blogs appear only for the blog author and administrators. Content from banned, suspended, or deleted accounts is excluded. A link at the bottom opens Bible Search with the same words.
On small screens, tap Menu (☰) next to the Agape Social title to show or hide the left navigation panels. The page content moves down when the menu is open; each time you open it, Account, Navigation, Bible Tools, About Us, and Legal start collapsed. On larger screens, the navigation stays visible in the left column and remembers which sections you left open.
Open Feedback from the About Us section in the left sidebar. Choose a type (Bug Report, Enhancement, Question, Compliment, or Other), enter a subject and details, and optionally attach a screenshot up to 5 MB. Submissions are reviewed by administrators. You can submit up to 5 feedback items per hour. Use the My Feedback link on the Feedback page to track your past submissions and their status.
An account under review has limited activity while administrators check a report or policy concern. Posting Sparks, commenting, reacting, joining or creating Agape Groups, blogging, sharing Bible verses, and submitting sponsorships are disabled until review ends. You can still browse, update most profile settings, leave Agape Groups, and delete your own content where allowed.
Suspended or banned accounts cannot log in. Suspension is usually temporary for serious Community Rules violations; a ban is permanent. If you believe a penalty was made in error, contact site administrators through an alternate email if you still have one on file.
When you reactivate a deactivated account, you must choose a new password before you can post or comment again. This helps protect your account after time away. Administrators may also require a password change for security; in that case, follow the prompt when you sign in until you set a new password.
Sparks, Spark comments, photos, photo comments, and profiles have a Report option. Choose a reason from the dropdown list of Community Rule titles and optionally add details. The report form links to the Community Rules page if you need to review the guidelines. Reports go to the moderation team for review.
Moderators review reports and may remove content, warn the user, or apply account penalties for serious violations. You will see a confirmation that your report was received. When moderation finishes reviewing your report, you may receive an in-app notification. Repeat or bad-faith reports may be ignored.
Agape Social follows biblical principles of love, truth, and respect. Detailed guidelines are on the Community Rules page in the Legal section, grouped by topic (conduct, content, doctrine, privacy and prayer, sharing and commerce, leadership, Bible tools, and reporting). Key points include honest identity, keeping content clean and lawful, no hate speech or harassment, protecting personal information, no spam, shared ministry media that honors doctrine and copyright, and keeping posts aligned with Apostolic Pentecostal teaching. Violations may lead to warnings, account review, suspension, or permanent bans.